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Students at Catholic schools in the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, are academically outperforming state and national averages, according to the most recent data from a national assessment.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called “the nation’s report card,” found that the diocese’s students are excelling. The NAEP is the largest nationally representative sample of academic performance and, according to Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, it is how the country evaluates the American education system.
“It is a critical tool for parents, educators, and experts to assess our students’ preparedness and advise on necessary interventions,” she said in a press release.
According to this year’s NAEP results, eighth grade students at Catholic schools in the Diocese of Allentown outperform Pennsylvania public school students in both reading and math by 14%, according to AD Today. Eighth grade is a common benchmark year for assessing academic performance.
“When we chose Catholic school, we hoped for strong academics and a safe environment,” one parent of a sixth-grader said, according to a Sept. 25 report in AD Today, the diocesan newspaper. “What we received was so much more – a community of faith, teachers who care deeply, and a place where our child is encouraged to live out the Gospel.”
Students at the diocese’s schools also outperform national averages; those in grades 4 and 8 are each 8% more likely to be proficient in both reading and math, according to AD Today.
According to AD Today, the diocese’s 33 schools serve more than 9,000 students from pre-K through 12th grade in five counties: Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill.
The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), which represents 150,000 educators, says that Catholic schools like the diocese’s succeed because they take their Catholic identities seriously.
“Excellent Catholic schools don’t just happen,” the NCEA’s website says. “They are distinguished by a Catholic worldview. Rooted in the mission of the Church, Catholic schools bring faith, culture and life together in an academically rigorous program infused with Catholic faith and tradition.”
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